Would like to do an extensive road tour with a Gunnar Sport - staying in motels along the way. Bike is currently built up with light wheels - low-count spokes. The bike is built up with Ultegra STI shifting.

Thinking of switching to a heavier higher spoke count wheelset and adding a rack.

Would like to carry small Arkel panniers. What is the weight limit including the rack?

Would you recommend a front or rear rack?

Is this at all a feasible idea, or should we go to a plan B and remodel an existing commuter bike for touring?

The Sport is designed for just the kind of riding you've described. It's good for roughly 20 pounds of weight on the rear rack before you start to see the handling meaningfully deteriorate. As you add more weight to the rear, you increase the risk of high-speed control problems from poor weight distribution.

With careful selection of clothing and whatever else you are carrying, you should be able to stay below the 20 pounds. Don't sweat the rack and bag weight (unless, of course, the bags are lead lined for radiation protection).

You could plausibly add another 10 pounds by beefing up the fork (with a heavy bladed fork and low-rider mounts) without causing handling issues.

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